One of the horror genre's "most widely read critics" (Rue Morgue # 68), "an accomplished film journalist" (Comic Buyer's Guide #1535), and the award-winning author of Horror Films of the 1980s (2007), The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007) and Horror Films of the 1970s (2002), John Kenneth Muir, presents his blog on film, television and nostalgia, named one of the Top 100 Film Studies Blog on the Net.

Saturday, February 11, 2017

In
“Tarzan and the Olympiads,” Tarzan rescues two escaped slaves, Dmitri and
Logos, from Roman troops marching in his jungle.

These
Roman troops hail from a (lost) city where the physically strong rule the roost,
and the losers in athletic games become slaves. The tyrant of Olympus is named
Cronos.

Tarzan
is captured by the Romans and must fight to regain his freedom, but he must
also help bring freedom to the city.

“Tarzan
and the Olympiads” is a not-very compelling installment of this 1976 Filmation
Saturday morning series. All the elements present here we have seen in episodes
before, and handled better, too. We get a lost city, for example, that apes
some other famous historical time period in human civilization, (The Roman
Empire) and we also get the young people that must be freed from captivity.
Finally, we encounter the evil tyrant, Cronos, who resists change.

The
only fresh angle is the fact that physical or athletic games form the
centerpiece of this particular civilization. Athletes prove their worth by
competing in the pole vault, the long jump, spear throwing (!) and foot races.
Naturally, Tarzan is well-equipped to win in all those events, and thus
challenge Cronos. In fact, he saves Cronos from a crocodile during one athletic
event.

What’s
weird here is that the city appears to have no women in it all. This fact adds
a whole other subtext to the installment. It’s all about half-naked men and
their acts of physical prowess. I’m not saying there’s a problem with that, or
that this subtext was intentional, just that the total lack of females on
screen encourages a different reading of the tale. And it’s a little strange
too. Someone has to be giving birth to
the children, right? Wouldn't the women have to compete in games too?

“Tarzan
and the Olympiads” ends, naturally, with Tarzan victorious and Cronos changing
his ways. “We must stop conquering
and staring caring,” is the message for audience at home.

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About John

award-winning author of 27 books including Horror Films FAQ (2013), Horror Films of the 1990s (2011), Horror Films of the 1980s (2007), TV Year (2007), The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007), Mercy in Her Eyes: The Films of Mira Nair (2006),, Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company (2004), The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi (2004), An Askew View: The Films of Kevin Smith (2002), The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film & Television (2004), Exploring Space:1999 (1997), An Analytical Guide to TV's Battlestar Galactica (1998), Terror Television (2001), Space:1999 - The Forsaken (2003) and Horror Films of the 1970s (2002).

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What the Critics Say...

"...some of the best writing about the genre has been done by John Kenneth Muir. I am particularly grateful to him for the time and attention he's paid to things others have overlooked, under-appreciated and often written off. His is a fan's perspective first, but with a critic's eye to theme and underscore, to influence and pastiche..." - Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, in the foreword to Horror Films FAQ (October 2013).

"Hands down, John Kenneth Muir is one of the finest critics and writers working today. His deep analysis of contemporary American culture is always illuminating and insightful. John's film writing and criticism is outstanding and a great place to start for any budding writer, but one should also examine his work on comic books, TV, and music. His weighty catalog of books and essays combined with his significant blog production places him at the top of pop culture writers. Johns work is essential in understanding the centrality of culture in modern society." - Professor Bob Batchelor, cultural historian and Executive Director of the James Pedas Communication Center at Thiel College (2014).

"...an independent film scholar, [Muir] explains film studies concepts in a language that is reader-friendly and engaging..." (The Hindu, 2007)"...Muir's genius lies in his giving context to the films..." (Choice, 2007)